Merriam’s Pocket Mouse vs Rye Ergot

Perognathus merriami compared with Claviceps purpurea

Key Differences

• Merriam’s Pocket Mouse is Least Concern while Rye Ergot is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse	Rye Ergot
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Hypocreales (Hypocreales)
Family	Heteromyidae	Clavicipitaceae
Genus	Perognathus	Claviceps
Species	Perognathus merriami	Claviceps purpurea

Conservation Status

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Rye Ergot

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse	Rye Ergot
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Rye Ergot

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (United States).